Step 1
Set your intention
In your heart, intend that this wudu is so you can pray. There is no formula to say out loud.
Worship learning tool
Wudu and ghusl guide
A simple guide to washing before prayer, made to be printed. Learn the essentials first, and take anything that depends on your own situation to a qualified teacher.
What matters most
The water reaches everywhere it needs to.
You are washing for Allah, not out of panic.
You ask someone when a medical, work, or family situation makes this complicated.
Wudu, step by step
Wudu is the partial washing you normally do before prayer. Quran 5:6 sets out which parts are washed and which are wiped, and beginner guides fill in the practical order.
Step 2
Begin with Allah's name
Say Bismillah if you remember. If you forget, carry on. There is no need to start again.
Step 3
Wash hands
Wash both hands up to the wrists, making sure water reaches between the fingers.
Step 4
Rinse mouth and nose
Rinse your mouth, then gently clean your nose. Use as much water as is comfortable and safe.
Step 5
Wash face
Wash the face from the hairline to the chin and from ear to ear.
Step 6
Wash arms
Wash the right arm through the elbow, then the left arm through the elbow.
Step 7
Wipe head and ears
With wet hands, wipe over your head. Most beginner guides also have you wipe your ears once.
Step 8
Wash feet
Wash the right foot through the ankle, then the left foot through the ankle.
Ghusl, step by step
Ghusl is the full-body wash. Keep it modest and keep it simple: intend it, clean what needs cleaning, and make sure water reaches your whole body.
Step 1
Set your intention
In your heart, intend a full washing for the sake of Allah. An ordinary shower works, as long as the intention is there and the water reaches everywhere.
Step 2
Wash private areas if needed
Clean whatever needs cleaning first, privately, before you go on.
Step 3
Make wudu
Make wudu as part of the ghusl. If your wudu breaks afterwards, do it again before you pray.
Step 4
Wash head and hair roots
Get the water down to your scalp and hair roots as best you can. If you have braids, a medical dressing, or hair that makes this hard, ask someone qualified.
Step 5
Wash the whole body
Wash your whole body so water reaches the skin everywhere, usually the right side first and then the left.
When wudu breaks
- Using the restroom or passing wind.
- Deep sleep or loss of consciousness.
- Some details, like bleeding or touching private areas, differ between schools of law. If it comes up for you often, ask a qualified local teacher.
When ghusl is needed
- After marital intimacy or sexual discharge.
- After menstruation or postpartum bleeding ends.
- On entering Islam. Scholars differ on whether it is required or recommended. If you have already said the Shahada and not done it yet, do it when you get the chance.
Common worries, and what to do about them
I keep restarting because I feel unsure.
Do the steps once, with attention, then stop. Repeating out of anxiety turns purification into something that wears you down.
I forgot one recommended detail.
Nothing has gone wrong. Learn the essentials first, then ask a teacher which parts are required in your school of law.
Water is hard to use because of illness or injury.
Ask a qualified person about the concessions, such as wiping over a bandage, or tayammum. Islam does not ask you to make your health worse.
I am confused by different videos.
Pick one reliable beginner method and learn it properly. Small differences between teachers do not mean your worship is broken.
Ask a qualified person if
- A medical condition, a wound, a disability, or severe dryness makes using water difficult.
- You are unsure about menstruation, postpartum bleeding, discharge, or rulings around intimacy.
- Your job, school, travel, or family situation makes purification hard to manage.
- You feel stuck repeating wudu or ghusl because of anxiety.
Sources used
This is a beginner tool. Some purification details differ between schools of law, and your own situation is worth going over with a qualified local imam or scholar.
- Quran.comمنبع قرآن
Quran Foundation - بستر متن و ترجمه قرآن
برای منابع قابل دسترس قرآن، ترجمه معنا، صدا، و پیوندهای خواننده پسند استفاده می شود.
- New Muslim Guide - Manner of Performing Wudooراهنمای مبتدی
New Muslim Guide - راهنمای تصفیه
برای توالی مبتدی وضو، مرور کلی غسل و یادآوری استفاده می شود تا از معلمان واجد شرایط در مورد جزئیات سؤال شود.
- New Muslim Guide - Ritual Impurityراهنمای مبتدی
New Muslim Guide - راهنمای تصفیه
برای تمایز سطح بالا بین ناخالصی های جزئی و بزرگ مناسک بدون تبدیل راهنما به کتابچه راهنمای فقهی دقیق استفاده می شود.
- SeekersGuidanceتحصیلات علمی
SeekersGuidance - تعلیم و تربیت اسلامی واجد شرایط
برای چارچوب بندی آموزشی محتاطانه و یادآوری برای درخواست احکام شخصی از علمای واجد شرایط استفاده می شود.